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Saturday, December 31, 2011

I set a few goals at the beginning of the year. Let's revisit them, shall we?Be A LOT better at sending out cards for birthdays and anniversaries.I was once again really good at this through the first third of the year and then neglected the specials occasions for the latter third. Sorry guys. At least I saved a tree or two?

Get organized in the photo department, start and finish my wedding scrapbook, replace the picture frame models with our pictures.While I wouldn't say I'm any more organized, I did start my wedding scrapbook! I got a whole one page done.. And, I am proud to say that the gazillions of picture frames we got for our wedding are filled with pictures of people we actually know. (Thanks, Grandma Jackie)

Blog more often.Check.

Keep the house clean.Uh.. er.. pass?

Get really good at couponing.Definitely not going to be on the show "Extreme Couponing".. like ever. Unfortunately they don't make coupons for a lot of the stuff that goes into our shopping cart. But as soon as they come out with coupons that read buy one organic apple get one free, I'll be all over it!

Breatfeed at least until June (if not longer).Check. We made it through the biting stage, the time I feared most. I feel very comfortable with our breastfeeding relationship and feel I don't need to set any future goals regarding nursing.

Go on a few dates with my husband.Well, Tyler and I never went out on a date and I didn't leave Mason alone with anyone this past year, but we were able to spend some good quality time together after he went to bed, watching movies and such. Maybe we'll get to the theater sometime in 2012, but if we don't, no big deal. We love spending time as a family.. that's why we made one!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Now that Mason is a year old, I thought I would think back and make a list of our favorite things from the first year. I'll do a few posts starting from birth and going to his first birthday.

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We were at the hospital a total of 5 days from November 7th to the 11th, experiencing things from hall walking to the operating room, lots of welcome visitors to middle of the night wakings from the nurses, and extreme fatigue to midnight snacks. Here are some of the faves from my hospital stay.

Camera

I needn't explain this one, I'm sure. But, I figured I would share the camera we have. It is a Canon Rebel XSi and I am a fan. I can use the manual mode to get the shots just as I want them, and when my husband is behind the camera, he can switch it to automatic and it still takes great pictures. I wasn't at a very good angle to take pictures of Mason being born or afterwards, so Tyler was in charge of that. He got some good pictures to document those moments.

Non-slip socks.Yeah, mine were dorky and an ugly tan, but who was I to care? A room full of people just spent a good half hour staring at my body naked from the chest down, like wearing a dorky pair of socks was going to phase me. I was scared to walk around after surgery (it hurt!). The last thing I wanted to do was slip and fall. Besides, they kept my little toes nice and snug. The hospital gave me my pair (free with abdomen slicing?), but there are cuter ones out there, like these:

Water, with a straw.This one may seem kind of simple, and dumb, but I'm serious. Between those painful contractions, I had little time to re-hydrate. I'd say/yell, "Lindy, water!", she'd bring it over to me, I'd suck in as much as I could before the next contraction started up again. It was just so convenient to always have that water sitting right next to me. I loved it. See, simple. I used the styrofoam cups they kept bringing me, but I think it would be smarter (and by smarter, I mean greener) to bring your own. Perhaps one that wasn't made of the most dangerous plastic?

Pillows.

Lots and lots of fluffy pillows. When I was learning the ins and outs of breastfeeding, I relied heavily on propping Mason up on heaps and mounds of pillows. Sometimes when he would eat in the middle of the night, I would make Tyler give me his pillow because the 17 I already had weren't enough and I needed just one more. My poor husband, I'm sure that didn't make his fold down, lumpy couch bed any more comfortable. Good thing I was the only new mom in the hospital, or they could have experienced a severe pillow shortage.

That's really all I can think of, hmm, the mixture of lack of sleep and pain killers must have zapped my memory.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Thanks for stories/thoughts/suggestions on what to do with Mason's healthcare provider situation. We have a while to think things over and decide what we want to do, but it helps to hear what you think!

I was looking back on my posts from the first months having Mason around and I'd have to say that I've not only grown as a blogger but as a person. Being a mom has changed me in ways I never thought would. Crazy how much influence such a little person has on your life.

Mason doesn't talk much, but he does some pretty cute things, like call for our cat. He's caught on that we click our tongues when we call Kinnick, and has started doing it, too, whenever he sees him or is searching for him. I didn't even notice he was doing it at first, I just thought he was making random noises, Tyler was the one that realized what he was trying to do. Such a smart little boy.

I let my diapers soak up some sun yesterday after washing them. They froze a little, but the stains came out and so did some stink. However, I really really need to strip all my diapers. I've been putting it off for a while now, and they are getting a little too stinky. I've never done it, any suggestions?